Gotham Burger Social Club
Hamburger restaurant · Lower East Side ·
Smash burgers with caramelized onions, pickles, and cheese
.jpg "Gotham Burger Social Club by Patrick Dolande/Gotham Burger Social Club")
Smash burgers with caramelized onions, pickles, and cheese
"What started for Mike Puma as a hobby of reviewing burgers around the city and making them himself at dozens of popups throughout the city with hours-long waits has beautifully blossomed into a brick-and-mortar one-stop-shop. Gotham Burger Social Club (GBSC) has a small-town-diner feel that blends seamlessly into the hustle and bustle of NYC, exemplified by its always-busy atmosphere. It's a good sign whenever you see a chef running the show in the front-of-house, and that’s exactly where you’ll find Mike Puma. There he is, ensuring that every burger (beef or Impossible) with grilled onions, American cheese, and housemade pickles is smashed to perfection, and that each order of “frickles” (fried pickles) comes with tasty homemade sauces. Don’t miss out on their vanilla or chocolate egg creams to maximize that nostalgic feel, and make sure to drink yours while sitting at the counter looking out on an iconic New York City corner, pretending you’re in a rom-com." - Charlie Hobbs
"You’ll need a carpenter’s caliper to measure Gotham Burger Social Club’s wafer-thin patties, and they griddle their top buns to create a super crusty, toasty texture. Add in the pickled jalapeños and regular pickles, gooey american cheese, and sweet steamy onions, and you have one of the best smashburgers this city has to offer. They also sell beer, wine, and canned cocktails, making this a great spot to start a night, or refuel during a Lower East Side bar crawl." - bryan kim, neha talreja, will hartman, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick
"A Lower East Side/Greenpoint burger spot serving a standout smash burger with grilled onions, American cheese, pickles, jalapeño, club sauce, ketchup, and mustard, plus a vegetarian Veg’N-Out option for non‑meat eaters." - Nadia Chaudhury
"If Gotham Burger Social Club’s double smashburger had its own Instagram account, it would probably post a photo of its brown, griddled bun with the caption “So I did a thing.” Lots of places toast the inside of their buns for a buttery crisp, but GBSC on the Lower East Side toasts the exterior of the top bun, then layers it with lacy, caramelized beef patties, steamed onions, pickles and pickled jalapeños, plus a slice of gooey american cheese. The result is a textural wonderland." - will hartman, bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, kenny yang
"This former pop-up found a permanent spot on the Lower East Side, and also on our smashburger power ranking. These burgers are a masterclass in texture, with a hard griddle on the outside of the bun, caramelized beef, and some punchy acidity from pickles and pickled jalapeños." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah